MCA in process of overhauling constitution: Savant

Mumbai: Mumbai Cricket Association has started the process of overhauling its constitution to remove ambiguities and introduce correct procedures to face new challenges, its president Ravi Savant said today.

"Barring some bits and pieces changes made in it a few years ago, we have not done any major alterations to our constitution for several years. Some of the procedures have not been properly defined in the constitution and we want to remove ambiguities," Savant told PTI today. One of the changes contemplated was about the residential status of those seeking to get elected to its managing committee, and Savant defended it saying while one can have many residences he or she can be called a permanent resident of only one of those places. "We can have own many residences for business or other reasons but will be residing on a permanent basis in only one of these. We can be a resident of only one place attested by the ration card," he explained. "This is not being done while keeping any one person in mind," he said, when asked whether it was being done to aid former president Sharad Pawar become eligible to contest the upcoming MCA elections. As per the existing by-laws, only a person who is a resident of Mumbai, Thane or Navi Mumbai can contest the elections of MCA and Pawar had declared himself as a resident of Baramati when he fought the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. "We also want to make our affiliated clubs, who are all supported well by MCA, more accountable," Savant added. "We (constitution committee members) are going to have two or three more meetings before we send it to the charity commissioner for approval. Then we will call a Special General Meeting to pass the revamped constitution. It`s not an easy process and I cannot say whether it can be done before the elections (due in July-August)," he said. The constitution panel has already met to discuss the changes and had another joint meeting with the MCA`s legal cell and proposes to have another joint sitting before finalising the by-laws of the Constitution prior to sending it to the charity commissioner, it was learnt. PTI